A/N: This is the new chapter to my Koisuru Boukun Fire!verse series. As this story is a continuum of the previous stories, I would say, please read the first four segments before this! :p

Series order:

1) Consumed by your fire

2) Kindles and sparks

3) Scorching heat

4) Incendium

PS: Throughout the story, the way in which the 2 main characters are called will switch between these:

Tatsumi Souichi: Souichi (in his own POV) / Sempai (in Morinaga's POV)

Morinaga Tetsuhiro: Tetsuhiro (in his own POV) / Morinaga (in Souichi's POV)

Warning: This story is Yaoi.

Disclaimer: As before, Koisuru Boukun does not belong to me.

Chapter 1: New beginnings, old doubts

xxx Souichi xxx

Sneakers scuffing the stone steps, Souichi reached the entrance of the sleek white and steel building shortly. A chrome and aluminum fountain spewed clear water into the air, its twisting and abstract form strangely graceful to the eye.

Souichi pushed open the glass doors confidently and strode past offices and laboratories to the end of the corridor. There, he entered a large, white room, completely divided up by multiple rows of cubicles. Nodding to some acquaintances that had their own work spread out on the desks, he finally reached one of the cubicles and sat down at the chair. From his backpack, he extracted a thick stack of research articles. It was time to get to work.

Tokyo University really had very high expectations of its students. Souichi had received acceptance into the Agricultural and Life Sciences graduate school a week before their move to Tokyo. Now, it was only his second week into the new term and already, his professor had slotted him into two entirely new research projects.

However, after being away from the academic scene for his pregnancy, picking up the steps of research and studying was nostalgically exciting. Despite the heavy schedule that saw him going home at nine every night, Souichi was relishing every second of it. It was indeed in the agricultural sciences where he was in his element.

Seconds melted into minutes, then hours. The studious sounds of typing and sheets flipping in the quiet study lounge were accompaniment to the rhythm of his studying. Souichi was completely immersed in his own world, the wonders of the science that he craved as complex and intriguing as ever.

It was only the vibration of his cell that broke his spell of constant focus. Souichi put down the third article that he had been perusing and picked up the device. He was not surprised to see the sender of the incoming message.

Sempai, good afternoon! How goes your studying? You must be hungry now after being busy with your research! Please don't neglect your health, though, okay? I will be cooking dinner tonight after picking up Emi from the childcare center. What would you like to eat? I love you!

Souichi sat straighter in his seat, his fingers moving steadily across the keyboard to reply positively to Morinaga's query. His kouhai would message him without fail at five in the afternoon daily, asking about his day and plans for dinner.

With the both of them at work during the day, it was inevitable that Emi would have to be placed at a childcare center to be taken care of. They had chosen one near Morinaga's workplace for convenience and also because Tokyo University was further away from their apartment than S Pharmaceuticals.

After sending the message successfully, Souichi gazed at the wallpaper of his cell. It was a picture of Emi sleeping on her tummy. Morinaga had snapped the picture a few nights ago and sent it to Souichi, who had quietly set it as his wallpaper.

With her plump cheeks and pouted lips, their daughter resembled an adorable baby rabbit. Souichi smiled fondly, a finger stroking the digital image of Emi. He would be able to see her when he got home later.

In the impersonal and Spartan study lounge, Souichi suddenly felt a little unsettled. Everybody around him was bent over their desks, buried in mounds and mounds of work. Nobody seemed to be going home anytime soon. Were studies above and over everything else in life?

The disdainful thought shook him. Up till a year ago, Souichi had been exactly like these students, his mind only filled with research. The people around him had never held his interest as much as his research material. In fact, things had gotten so extreme that everyone had looked the same to Souichi, which caused him to forget names almost immediately after he was introduced to the people.

Until recently, Souichi would never have thought about going home on time when he had a project going on. However, things were rather different now. He had two people who meant…quite a bit more to him than plants and microbes, two people whose faces were imprinted in his heart, their names in his mind.

Souichi gazed at the picture of Emi a moment longer, feeling the familiar rush of affection flow over him. However, he was still…craving for something…Looking around him surreptitiously, Souichi made sure that nobody was peeping over his shoulder before opening up the top- secret photo album that he kept in his cell.

It was not a large album by any means, containing just twenty pictures that he had only recently accumulated. As the images loaded fully, Souichi brought up the first one, feeling his heart warm significantly as Morinaga's silly beam filled up the entire screen. Ah, damn…

Souichi slid to the next picture, which Kanako had snapped with his cell without his knowledge. His sister had caught the two of them in the yukatas during Emi's omiyamairi. In it, Souichi had been carrying Emi while Morinaga bent over them, his head tilted to kiss their daughter. The poignant emotion shone from the man's face, even in profile. Souichi gazed quietly at the slightly blurred image of their little family. The picture had, thankfully, not captured the turmoil of that day.

Feeling his mood improve again as he finished going through the remaining pictures, Souichi placed his mobile by the side and picked up the article again. He would work hard and finish up quickly so that he could go home earlier—

"Aww, that's a really cute baby! Is she yours, Tatsumi- san?"

Souichi swiveled around in his chair, recognising the woman's voice immediately. A young graduate student with brunette curls was now bent over his mobile, gazing avidly at his mobile wallpaper. She was donned in a lab coat, the blue-and-yellow logo of Tokyo University displayed prominently on the breast pocket of the white attire.

Yuki Manami was a full- time student in Todai's Agricultural and Life Sciences graduate school. She was a bright and cheerful woman who had generously helped Souichi to complete all the paperwork for the programme and settled him into their research team. They had become friends of sorts, although Souichi still knew little about her beyond the fact that she was also a graduate student.

Souichi sighed internally. Unless absolutely necessary, he kept his private affairs to himself. Morinaga's near- dismissal from S Pharmaceuticals because of his pregnancy had made him wary and Souichi was not going to create unwanted attention and trouble unto themselves.

However, knowing that there was no point in denying the truth since the woman had clearly seen Emi's picture, he set the papers down and fulfilled Manami's curiosity. "Yea, she's my daughter. Her name's Emi."

Manami leaned in close to examine the photo, cooing and ahhing as though Emi were right in front of her. "Oh my, she's such a beauty! Such black hair and green eyes! She must take after your wife, Tatsumi- san!"

"…Yea." Souichi coughed as the image of Morinaga's face and decidedly manly figure materialized in his mind. His wife, huh. Hrmph, if that was the case, why the hell was he always pushed down by that bear, huh! And who was the one who had had to go through all the discomforts and pain of pregnancy and labour?! And, as though the irony were not galling enough, Emi had come out looking like a miniature version of Morinaga! However, even Souichi could not deny the fact that Emi was as adorable as a button, which implied that Morinaga was, too…Pish!

"Hhahaha, it is quite sad to have your first child not resembling you in the least, huh! I completely understand the feeling!" Manami had pulled a chair and sat down unceremoniously beside Souichi. The bubbly woman leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially, "Actually, I'm already a mother of two, but don't tell anybody else, okay? The juniors think that I'm only twenty- four!"

"Oh, you already have children? I see." Souichi was surprised by her admission. Manami, with her tea- brown hair and youthful appearance, made her look like a young teenager more than a mother. So she was also one of those young parents whose figures were maintained after giving birth. His hand went unconsciously to his abdomen. It was slightly thicker than before he had had Emi.

"Let's exchange numbers, Tatsumi- san! Maybe we could arrange to visit each other and our children soon! Your daughter's too charming for me to resist! Here, my number—"

Souichi's eyebrows went up at her spontaneity. He wondered if anybody had ever told Yuki Manami that she was like a tornado, completely irrepressible. However, looking at her expectant and sincere face, Souichi was hard- pressed to reject her. He entered her number into his cell and then immediately dropped her a missed call. "There you have it."

Yuki Manami nodded happily as she recorded his number in her cell. "Oh my, I thought that I would be the only graduate student who was married, since I didn't see a ring on your finger. Hoho, the juniors are going to be so disappointed! They had been so looking forward to your arrival, Tatsumi- san! Fufufu." The young woman did not sound particularly sympathetic as her eyes crinkled in mirth.

"Wait, I'm not marr—" Souichi stopped himself in time. Manami's reaction to the fact that he had a child was typical. She had immediately assumed that he was married to a woman, who had borne him Emi. His course mate would never have imagined the truth! However, revealing it would invite too many questions… "Well, I already have my family and really, those girls should be focusing on their studies instead of on such ridiculous topics!"

"Hahah, you are really as strict as you seem, Tatsumi- san. The juniors just want to have a little fun! Haha." Manami cocked her head in confusion for a minute but dismissed his strange reaction as a fluke.

The bullet- train that was her mind immediately switched to the next topic. "Ne, so what kind of ring did you get your wife? My husband was soo stingy! He only got me a one- carat solitaire ring! Hrmph…But well, he was clever enough to carve something sweet inside the ring. Wanna see?" Without waiting for his answer, Manami had taken off her wedding ring and placed it in Souichi's palm.

"To my only love, Manami." Souichi dutifully read out the characters carved out elegantly on the inner band of the ring, noticing Manami's rapt expression as he did so. For all her complaints, it was obvious that his course mate was completely smitten with her partner.

Souichi passed the ring back to Manami, who slipped it on carefully back onto her left ring finger. The reverence with which she did so made him pause. Manami looked so happy that Souichi felt a strange pang in his heart. It reminded him of Morinaga, of that fateful night when Souichi had proposed to him. That baka had looked exactly as Manami did now, complete wonder and joy shining on his face as he held the adoption papers to his chest…

"Tatsumi- san? Are you listening? I said that I have to go now."

Manami was gazing curiously at him again and Souichi quickly reined in his thoughts. "Yes, sorry, Yuki- san. Since you are leaving now, then I'll see you tomorrow. We'll be starting on the experiments formally then, right?"

"Yes, so rest up well tonight, Tatsumi- san! It's going to be a tough time ahead for at least two months, I reckon. Mata, ne!" Waving goodbye to him cheerily, Manami swept out of the lounge, earning some frowns and glares from other studious dwellers.

Souichi sat a little longer at his desk, no longer in the mood for studying. Manami's talk about marriage and rings had started in him a chain of thought that now refused to be ignored or switched off. He leaned back against the chair, hearing it creak.

Marriage, huh. Beyond giving Morinaga the adoption papers and telling his father about their intentions, Souichi had not done much further than that. Part of it was because all of them had been preoccupied with too many things in the past few months—Morinaga's work and parents, Souichi's own exchange programme, Emi's arrival and their move to Tokyo—there had been no time to focus on their marriage ceremony, if one could call it that.

And yet, Souichi also knew that being busy was only an excuse. Despite his proposal, despite his announcement to his father, somewhere, deep inside him, the doubts had never been eradicated. Could marriage between two men really work out? Could there be a happily ever after for them?

The act of their marriage would be simple—just a signing ceremony with two witnesses to formalize it. However, with that signature, Morinaga would be his family member forever. His kouhai would no longer just be a junior but also his husband and partner in every way that mattered. He would be the closest to Souichi, closer even than Kanako, Tomoe and Matsuda- san.

Morinaga would, in other words, take possession of Souichi completely. Irrevocably. The significance of his proposal sank in fully at that moment.

'Do you, Tatsumi Souichi, take Morinaga Tetsuhiro as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part?'

The sonorous voice in his mind seemed so real that Souichi pushed out of his seat, nearly losing his balance with the momentum. Panic overtook him and the large lounge suddenly felt overwhelmingly stifling. Breathing hard, and uncaring that the man in the adjacent cubicle was glaring daggers at him, Souichi stuffed his notes into his backpack haphazardly. Without another backward glance, he stalked away from the desk and made a beeline for the exit.

The voice in his head refused to go away.

To be continued.

A/N: Greetings to you all! To my previous readers, I would once again like to say thank you for reading, and to new readers, I do hope that you will enjoy this story!